Josh o' Trades

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

You Will Believe...Again



"The first movie I remember watching all the way through was Superman. I recall standing up in my chair, completely in awe of what I was witnessing. My first glimpse of a hero without even knowing what that word was. My parents (and old photos) tell of years of running around the house with a red beach towel safety-pinned around my neck. Of jumping out of trees and off of roofs just knowing that this time, gravity would bend to my will.

As the years went by, the ideology and symbolism of the last son of Krypton began to shape me into the man I am today. The morals of life, liberty, and the American way were the values I most wanted to uphold. It wasn't the powers or the strength or even the flying, it was the idea that regardless of what we can do, what was important was the compassion for our fellow man. That we should do everything within our power – whatever power that may be – to help those unable to help themselves.

The mythos of Superman began back in the 1930’s, and several versions of the Big Blue Boy Scout have come and gone, but for me, there will only be one Superman. The man I was first introduced to back in a little theater in a little town in 1978. The tagline of the move was simple. 'You will believe a man can fly.' And we did. And we do."

I wrote those words on October 11, 2004, the day I heard that Chris Reeve had passed away. At the time, I remember thinking that no one could take his place. That Richard Donner's 1978 release of Superman could never be topped.

I was wrong.

Last night I was able to become a 5 year old again. To witness magic once again on the silver screen, something I haven't seen in a long time. Last night I saw what I'm going to call THE definitive Superman film. The film that will inspire a whole new generation of children to believe in heroes again.

Last night I saw Brian Singer's love letter to Donner and Chris and Dana. Last night, I saw SUPERMAN.

There's so much more I want to say, but I don't want to give anything away. I'll probably post a real review after the weekend, once I've seen it again, and can talk more freely about it.

But, for now, go out and buy a ticket. Buy 20. Take everyone you know to this movie. And, when it's over, get back in line and see it again.

This is the one we've been waiting for. I can't express how much I enjoyed this film, and how much it has restored my faith in the magic of the movies. I can't wait to hear your views on it.

-Jos

"He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly." ~B.C. Forbes

Friday, June 23, 2006

Feature Friday: Serenity

It all started almost 9 years ago.

I had just recently met the Elfin Princess, and she got me hooked on a little known TV show on the then-struggling WB Network, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It wasn't long before Buffy took the world by storm, quickly becoming a world-wide phenomenon, due largely to the style and vision of one man, Joss Whedon.

Buffy ran for 7 years and launched a successful spin-off, Angel, which itself ran for 5 years.

Then, in the fall of 2002, Joss and his crack team of writers, including the lovely Jane, set to redefining the realm of science fiction. During his 2 week hiatus from Buffy & Angel, Whedon read The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara, a great book about the Battle of Gettysburg. It got Joss to thinking about the Civil War, and how we, several generations apart, view it today. He wanted to do a show about the underdogs, the losers of a devastating war, and how they made their peace with it.

From that was born Firefly, a show that incorporated every genre, from comedy and drama to action and horror. Firefly had it all. It followed the crew of the cargo ship, Firefly-class 'Serenity,' as they make their way "just a little farther from the hand of the Alliance."

Serenity's captain, Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds, is a veteran of the losing side of a great civil war for independence. The winners, the Corporate Alliance, a conglomerate of what remains of the future United States and China, have very little regard for the opposing side, the 'Independents.' Or, as they are more commonly known, the Browncoats.

Unfortunately, the 'verse at large was not ready for a show that couldn't be pinned down into one particular marketing area. That, coupled with a Friday night timeslot, help bring about it's untimely demise. Only 14 episodes were ever made.

Now, the story should end here. TV show has a shot, viewing numbers are embarrassingly low, network decides to pull the plug. It's over. Move along.

Not so fast.

You'd be forgetting about the real world Browncoats. The rabid fanbase that just would not let the show die. The people who did all that they could to keep the show on the air. Who built numerous websites and wrote hundreds of thousands of letters and petitions. Who ran various vender tables in countless conventions to show the world their love of a virtually unknown television show.

And you'd be forgetting about the man Whedon himself. Whose passion and drive reached almost mythological proportions. A man who called in every favor owed him. Who was just as in love with the show as the actors and the fans combined.

And then, the impossible happened. 2005 saw the release of the motion picture, Serenity. The entire cast returned. Almost the entire crew. All working for nothing, just so this movie could be made.

And what a movie it was.

Title: Serenity
Year: 2005
Director: Joss Whedon
Staring: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass, Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Krumholtz, Sarah Paulson

"The crew of Serenity will take any job, even if that job isn't exactly legal. Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Fillion) and his crew take small smuggling and robbery jobs to keep their ship afloat, and to stay under the radar of The Alliance. But when a doctor, Simon Tam (Maher) and his unstable, telepathic sister, River (Glau) join the crew, they get in much more trouble than they bargained for. A mysterious Alliance agent, known only as the Operative (Ejiofor), is after River, because she stumbled onto a secret no one was supposed to know... and The Alliance will do anything to get her back."

I've often called Serenity the "series finale that Firefly never got." It ties up several of the threads that the series never got to resolve. And we get to see our favorite characters go out with a flourish and take a bow.

You don't need to have seen the series to understand the movie, most of what you need to know is explained. But if you're a fan of the show, the movie is filled with subtle hints and gags that make the film that much more enjoyable.

I've had the pleasure of converting quite a few of my peeps over to the Browncoats. And while I don't think I'm as obnoxious and brow-beating as some of the more vocal fans, I do hope that more people will come to see and enjoy the movie as much as I have.

I would suggest that you do watch the series first, if only to heighten your overall enjoyment. Have a great weekend.

And the impossible just keeps coming. Tonight, June 23rd, the Studio Movie Grill in Addison is hosting a midnight screening of Serenity for Joss' favorite charity, Equality Now. (I have a couple of tickets available, if anyone's interested.)

Oh, and Happy Birthday, Mr. Whedon.

-Jos

"The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!" ~Henry Ward Beecher

Friday, June 16, 2006

Feature Friday: The Terror of Tiny Town

When I was a kid, I had a hard time falling asleep. (Having a hard time STAYING asleep came along later, and breaking my back in Jr. High didn't help.) One of my favorite things to combat this pseudo-insomnia was to stay up late with Dad and watch the Late Late  Show and split a carton of Pralines n' Cream ice cream.

I can't tell you how many horrible black and white films we watched at 1am under the tutelage of Commander USA, and his Groovie Movies. From the little known King Kong sequel, Son of Kong ("He's a swell little scraper.""Tough break.") to the just plain bad, Missile To The Moon ("Stay out of the sun! It'll fry you alive!").

But the best (or worst, depending how you look at it) had to be The Terror of Tiny Town. I don't know if it was the obvious studio back-lot western setting, the lack of plot whatsoever, or the non-existent acting that made it so hard to watch.

I think, maybe, it was the midgets...

Title: The Terror of Tiny Town
Year: 1938
Director: Sam Newfield
Staring: Billy Curtis, Yvonne Moray, 'Little Billy' Rhodes, Billy Platt, John T. Bambury, Joseph Herbst, Charles Becker, Nita Krebs, George Ministeri, Karl 'Karchy' Kosiczky, Fern Formica

"An evil gunslinging midget comes to terrorize the good little people of Tiny Town. The townspeople organize to defeat him, and zany antics ensue."

You know? I really don't even need to write anything else. That one sentence sums it up quite well.

But then, you wouldn't hear about the actors having to reach up to swing the bat wing doors of the saloon. You's miss out on the daring cowboy stunts with a team of wild stallions - er, Shetlen ponies (I kid you not). Nor would you bear witness to singing talent that would have Simon Cowel put a gun to his forehead. And the acting, dear God, the acting. Well, let's just say that Steven Seagal will win a Oscar before any of this cast will...

From our hero Buck (Curtis), his girl Nancy (Moray), and her Uncle Jim (Moray), to the Big Bad, Bat Haines (Rhodes), and who could forget the German vampire, Nita (Krebs), ((I can't make this stuff up, People)), plus the fact that it was supposed to be SERIOUS, it really may be one of the worse films I've ever seen. And, I've seen a lot, let me tell ya. (Don't forget, these are the same actors who filled out the cast of the Muchkins in the merry ole land of Oz. They WERE the Lollypop Guild!))

Still, I laugh until I cry every time I see it. (I own a worn VHS copy of it taped back during those days of innocence, and just ordered the DVD copy I found while writing this article, just to give my future kids more reasons to hate me.)

This one's for you, Dad. Break out your copy and enjoy it this Father's Day weekend. The rest of you, should you ever come across it, RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Jos

"Things ain't what they used to be and probably never was." ~Will Rogers

Monday, June 12, 2006

Galveston Highlights - Part 1

So the Browncoats returned safely from our travels to the south end of the 'verse. It was the first time off I'd had this year, and it was well deserved.



Here are a few of the high points:

Wednesday:

- Playing The Game while quoting The Princess Bride, which was playing in the other room.

- Watching Darcy cringe while the rest of us were singing along at the top of our lungs to Once More With Feeling at 1 in the morning (his poor neighbors).

- TEP's self-satisfaction upon fitting 5 days worth of clothes and "girlie necessities" into one small duffel bag and backpack. Quite impressive, that.

AQ's monster suitcase. "It's bigger than the van. We'll have to rent a U-Haul just for that thing." "Shut up!"

- Staying up with LoW until 3am trying to find a way to fall asleep.

- Finding Darcy's practice Katana (and keeping LoW from using it on the rest of us).

Thursday:

- The early morning Wal-Mart run with LoW for road snacks and ice (and 2 unused beach towels).

- "What's that flashing light mean?"

- "Are we there yet?" "We're still in Plano..."

- "This will be the trip of 'No Functioning ATMs'. Mark my words."

- "What's wrong with the 'Open Door Alarm'?" "(Low) broke it." "Did not!"

- "Why won't my i-Pod work with the van's radio?"

- "Quick, take a picture of that." "Uh, we're STILL in Plano!"

- "What did that road sign say?" "Buffalo." "We're in Buffalo!? How long was I asleep?" "An hour."

- "Hum. Er." (Chorus from back of the van) "Hummmmer!" "That's a Momma Hummer." "Um, Momma Hummer?" "H2. Not too big. Not too small. Momma Hummer." "Got it. Go back to sleep."

- "Who sings this?" "Seven Spanish Angles, by Ray Charles. Willie is about to join in." "My dad hated Willie." Mine too."

- "My Momma always said, 'Never pass up a bathroom break'." "Very wise."

- "So. Which side of 45 in NASA on?" "(Everyone in the van) The other side!" "But we were just THERE!"

- "That doesn't look like NASA." "Uh, that's because it's a McDonalds." "No. THAT." "That's a car wash." "Bite me."

- "Uh, there's a guy painting graffiti on that overpass pillar." "Don't worry. It's only 10 feet from our motel. We'll get to see it (and him) everyday." "Great."

- "Man! What is that smell?" "Sanitation." "So that's what it smells like."

- "We only have 2 towels." "So?" "Well, there's 3 of us in the room." "We only have 4 towels in our room." "There are only 2 of you in THIS room." "So? We're girls." "Really can't argue that point, (Darcy). There's evidence to back up that claim." "True enough."

More to follow......

-Jos

"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything." ~Charles Kuralt